A new study has named the New Zealand Super Fund as one of the world’s most responsible asset allocators.

Announced last week at the Annual Spring Meetings of the World Bank, ‘The 2019 Leaders List: The 25 Most Responsible Asset Allocators’ identifies those institutions that set a global standard for leadership in responsible, sustainable investing.

The study, developed by New America and the Fletcher School at Tufts University, analysed almost 200 sovereign wealth funds and government pension funds to provide a benchmark of peer excellence for responsible investing among the broader investment community.

The leaders are selected following assessment across a range of criteria including policies for responsible investing, belief that environmental, social and governance considerations are material to long-term returns, and initiatives to get ahead of the curve.

NZ Super Fund Chief Executive Matt Whineray says the Fund is proud to be recognised as a leader when to comes to responsible investing on behalf of the citizens of New Zealand.

 “We bear a responsibility to future generations of New Zealanders to make allocation decisions that befit our role as long-term investors and stewards of our nation’s capital,” he says.

“To be recognised globally for our responsible investment is an important accolade for us and a testament to a concerted, team-wide effort to integrate sustainability considerations into our overall investment approach.” 

This is the second time the NZ Super Fund has featured on the Leaders List. This year the authors expanded the scope of the study and doubled the number of ranking criteria, with nine new funds selected for the List in 2019.